On the chilly night of December 7, 2018, more than 70 members, guests, and supporters joined FEW for the All That Glitters-themed Bonenkai at Dumbo Bar and Grill on the premises of The Strings Hotel Omotesando.

The glamorous atmosphere of the restaurant matched perfectly with the theme of the night, with the FEW Bonenkai team adding some more bling onto it with sparkly Christmas decorations and balloons. FEW President Riya Rapp opened the party with a speech to thank all of our members and sponsors for the productive year of 2018, and raised the toast with welcoming Kir Royal cocktails.

After the toast, the buffet including various finger foods, delicious main dishes, and theme-inspired desserts was opened. Everyone rushed to take their share. The spacious hall was soon filled with women and men chatting with friends old and new, and having a great time.

Our traditional Bonenkai charity raffle was dedicated to Women’s Eye, an NPO whose aim is to empower and mentor young women in the disaster-stricken region of Tohoku as they strive to rebuild their communities. A whopping 120,000 JPY was raised through raffle and proceeds have been forwarded to Women’s Eye.

“We truly appreciate for the FEW’s donation. It really helps us to support women in Tohoku. The donation will be used for the next generation leadership training for the women who are making a difference in in Fukushima on the grassroots level,” shared Women’s Eye Executive Director and Co-founder Megumi Ishimoto after the event.

FEW also wants to thank all of our raffle sponsors for making this possible:

Elana Jade
Club 360
Oakwood
Dale Carnegie
Mom in Balance Tokyo
Warm Hearts Coffee Club
Sarah Furuya
H&R Roppongi
Carefinder
Jarman
NOOX Designs
Turquoise Port
Sake Lovers

Want to see more pictures captured by FEW Sponsor TopTia at the event? Check out our Facebook album!

The post December 2018 Bonenkai Recap appeared first on FEW Japan.

The Big Draw Festival 2018

The world’s largest cross-cultural drawing festival, led by local artists Hilary Baker in Bewdley, UK, & Divya Marie Kato in Tokyo, JP!

• Date & Time: Sunday, October 28th 15:30-18:30pm
• Location: Yoyogi Park, Tokyo (meet at Sangubashi gate)
• Price: 1,000 JPY (Please bring exact change)

What it’s About: The Big Draw is a family event open to all ages interested in cultural exchange between Japan and UK.  We will be learning and experimenting with traditional British and Japanese drawing methods and materials, and everyone will be able to incorporate their own style and knowledge alongside a different cultural practice. As part of this project, we have sent Japanese art materials to Ruskin Land in Bewdley, UK, and they have sent us e.g. local charcoal and other materials in exchange. On the day there will also be a live feed between Yoyogi Park  & Ruskin Land to create an interaction between the countries.

What to Bring:  Your sketchbooks and favorite drawing materials, drinks and snacks, clothes suitable for the park, as well as bug spray and sun screen. Please invite also your family and friends!Above all, don’t forget to bring a willingness to create!

Where to Learn More: https://www.divyamariekato.com/the-big-draw-japan-2018/

Where to Register: Please register by sending an email with your full name and number of guests to info@divyamariekato.com

Tohoku Volunteer Road

Place to Grow is hosting inspiring weekend trips to the Tohoku area to grow & learn from each other!

• October Road Trip: Saturday 27th –  Sunday 28th
• November Road Trip: Saturday 17th – Sunday 18th
• December Road Trip: Saturday 15th – Sunday 16th

What it’s About: Place to Grow organizes open-to-all monthly weekend Volunteer Road Trips to disaster-stricken Tohoku communities, with an aim to connect and inspire a rising generation of leaders in the area. Volunteers depart Tokyo early on Saturday morning and return late on Sunday night.

Where to Learn More: http://www.placetogrow-ngo.org/activities

TELL Connoisseurs’ Auction

Are you all about good wine? Then you don’t want to miss this auction where all proceeds go TELL’s work.

• Date & Time: Friday, November 2nd, 18:00-22:00 pm
• Location: Happo En, 1-1-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8631
• Dress Code: Evening wear – be Bohemian, be inspired!
• Price: 20,000 JPY

What it’s About: The theme for TELLs  23rd Annual Connoisseurs’ Auction is Bohemian Rhapsody – Uncorked! The Connoisseurs’ Auction is recognized as Tokyo’s premier events for wine connoisseurs. It attracts 150 distinguished guests who bid on over 25 lots of premium wine, luxurious accommodation, and exceptional goods and services from a wide range of donors in both a live auction and a silent auction. The event will also feature extensive tastings of fine wines from some of Tokyo’s top wine distributors. Participation will help TELL continue to provide life-saving services.

Where to Learn More: To discuss sponsorship or further details of the auction please contact Blake Cunningham at event@telljp.com.

Where to Register: To reserve a table, or make a donation of goods or services to the event, please visit the TELL Auction website.

Knights In White Lycra (KiWL) Go-Go 55 Ultra and Half Marathon

Run for a good cause!

• Date: Saturday November 10th
• 21km river course from upper Arakawa River onto the Iruma River finishing at Aina Water Park, Kawagoe, Saitama.
• 55km river course from the Arakawa River near Minami-Senju, Tokyo

What it’s About: Choose between 55 kilometer or 22 kilometer marathon from Tokyo to Kawagoe along the Arakawa River, and support Mirai no Mori for its programs for abused, neglected, and orphaned youths children.

What’s the Cost: Entry Fee:  30,000 JPY for 55 km, 25,000 JPY for 21 km run. Entry fee will be waived if entrant introduces corporate sponsorship to the running vest.

What’s the Cost Include: Entry Fee includes running vest, refreshments and a donation to Mirai no Mori.

The post Upcoming Fall 2018 Community Service Events appeared first on FEW Japan.

Walking inside and outside the National Art Center, participants learned pro tips for taking better photos with their cameras, be it a smartphone or a system camera.

First lesson of the walk: You don’t need an expensive camera to create a good composition for a photo.

Instead, Tia advised to try a different approach: “When you go to Kyoto, visit Fushimi-Inari shrine. Everyone will be standing in the same spot, pointing their camera at the same angle to capture the large red Torii. Don’t be like them. Change your angle. Change your point of view. Look at the Torii different to everyone else.”

Despite the scorching hot weather, participants eagerly practiced according to the advise, and after an hour even those with more complex camera started to feel comfortable to opt out of the automatic mode.

Tips for elevating your photos above the standard line include:

• Include objects with textures into the composition
• Use bokeh: “Bokeh is basically the blurry background on Instagram. Learn how to create real bokeh over fake bokeh.”

After mastering their cameras and basic skills of composition, the participants practiced taking portraits.

“For portraits, place your subjects eye at the 2nd Thirds line. We want to see the mask of the face clear as possible”, Tia advised.

Remember these tips when shooting next time and your Instagram photos will look even more stunning!

FEW thanks Selena Hoy and her TELL team members for collaborating with FEW and TopTia Photography. We hope to hear the Feminine Eye series continues on with many more women photographers and participants!

Do continue to be on the lookout for more FEW and TELL events. TELL regularly posts event announcements on their website and Facebook page as does FEW.

The post Event Recap: TELL & FEW Presents The Feminine Eye appeared first on FEW Japan.

APRICOT’s MISSION

APRICOT’s sole mission is to raise awareness and funding for children with mental health illnesses formed from the March 11 natural disaster to receive long-term mental health care and resources. According to APRICOT, a recent government survey suggested 1 in 3 children in Tohoku are already suffering from mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and possible early developments of PTSD, to name a few. The head of the NPO, Andrew Grimes, focuses on making sure the world sees how important it is for children to overcome this devastating ripple effect that extends seven years and beyond. Below are a few examples of some of APRICOT’s work:

Mr. Grimes isn’t alone in his journey, the members of APRICOT are made up of a group of like minded humanitarians who volunteer their time to make sure every yen donated goes towards other mental health NPOs working directly with children of Tohoku and other cities across Japan affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. This is especially important for Japanese families who no longer or have never received government assistance for moving forward with their lives. These volunteers also help with hosting community rebuilding events and one-to-one treatment sessions for many with mental illnesses.

APRICOT, like other organizations, are faced with raising the funds required to help children receive the therapy they most desperately need. So far, funding has been made possible through a few corporate donations. Corporations or ‘APRICOT NPO Angels’ are companies who regularly support APRICOT and put them one step closer to their goal. One such group is the UK and Japan social media firm Mantra Media run by Johnny and Jason Pawlik who are lifetime supporters of APRICOT. They, alongside Josh Stinton of Outspire are preparing Josh on his cycling journey across the entirety of Japan for awareness of children’s mental health. The proceeds of his journey will go to APRICOT.  

Nonetheless, one lifetime member is not enough. The need is still great. Mr. Grimes invites anyone who is interested in their company or organization in becoming an APRICOT NPO Angel, please send an email to teamapricotchildren@gmail.com.

How Can You Help APRICOT?

If you are interested in assisting APRICOT individually or with a friend there are few ways you can lend a hand!

• Are you great at organizing fundraising events? APRICOT is currently looking for someone who can organize such events in the Tokyo area for the international community.
• Monthly or one-time Individual online donations are also possible via www.apricotchildren.org/donations
• Follow Josh Stinton on his cycling journey across Japan in support for APRICOT here:
  • Instagram: @joshoutspire
  • Twitter: @Joshstinton
• Follow APRICOT on their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/apricotchildren

Other Organizations who focus on on the well being of children:

Mirai no Mori                                                       Shine on Kids

The post May Community Services Feature: APRICOT appeared first on FEW Japan.

In October of last year, FEW Japan had the pleasure of welcoming three panelists to discuss multiculturalism in Japan. Among them, Angeli Narandran, International Coordinator of Peace Boat, spoke with the FEW ladies about how to create conversations and environments to foster multiculturalism in Japan. Ms. Narandran regaled us with the mission and history of Peace Boat touring Asian nations while having tough discussions regarding pain caused by Japan in the early 20th century.

For this month’s feature, I had a very informative conversation with Robin Lewis, International Coordinator for Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV). Surprised to hear there was a separate entity dedicated to disaster relief within Peace Boat, I asked him to explain both.

Peace Boat was established in 1983 by a group of Japanese university students eager to address the issues of government censorship regarding Japan’s aggressive military actions in the Asia-Pacific area. These students toured nearby nations in Asia to learn first hand about the war from those who directly suffered from it. 35 years and 60,000 passengers later, Peace Boat is on its 96th voyage from Yokohama (Jan. 8) to its farthest point in New Zealand (Feb 12) and back to Yokohama (Mar 4) through Papua New Guinea. During their journey, these participants are currently assisting local residents in visiting nations while fostering people to people relationships. They are also listening to guest speakers, such as Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchu, discuss special projects they are focusing on while en route to their next destination.

What is the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center?

While Peace Boat continues to foster cooperation and unity between people of different nations, Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV) is the disaster relief arm of Peace Boat. It not only focuses on disaster relief aid but also long-term support to areas affected by disasters.

The 1995 Kobe Earthquakes was the first time Peace Boat participated in any disaster relief efforts. Peace Boat in turn coordinated hundreds of thousands of volunteers to assist in the disaster giving them the idea that it could utilize its resources and ships to send goods when possible. With the March 11 earthquakes in Tohoku, Peace Boat realized how severe the situation in Tohoku was and created the separate entity, the disaster relief volunteer center.

Fun Fact: Did you know that ship routes are actually planned months or sometimes years in advanced?

It’s impossible to simply set a course and sail out at a few week’s notice. What’s even more surprising is that rule remains even in the wake of a disaster where people are desperate for aid. However, when a disaster hits, Peace Boat takes advantage of their pre-scheduled routes by loading their ships with volunteers, food, water and other disaster relief necessities to domestic or international areas. For example, just a year ago, Chile had been stricken by horrendous forest fires burning about 180,000 hectares of land. Because Peace Boat typically travels to Chile for its global voyages, they were able send aid. There have also been long-term disaster relief response projects in Haiti (2017), Nepal (2015), Vanuatu (2015).

PBV’s Challenges

Despite the amazing ability PBV has to quickly amas humanitarian aid there is still an all-to-familiar challenge to the division. Like many of our past feature organizations, PBV relies on donations and grants. PBV has been able to create its own revenue through disaster relief training workshops to families, companies, and embassies however it’s difficult to fund support and awareness for smaller and lesser known disasters. There are plenty of donations that come in for large earthquakes that have media coverage but what about areas affected by a flood, or mudslide, or fire that get very little attention? The lack of awareness makes it difficult for PBV team to provide the aid needed for those situations.

PBV’s Greatest Accomplishments

Being about to quicking coordinate aid and volunteers like this is what Mr. Lewis feels is Peace Boat and PBV’s greatest achievement. In just the first year of PBV, they were able to coordinate 13,000 volunteers to go to Ishinomaki, Miyagki Prefecture. It’s said to be one of the biggest mobilizations of both Japanese and internationals volunteers from 53 countries in history. PBV worked with local governments to clean damaged homes, provide food and water, and rebuild and promote for local industries such as the fishing and tourism industry. The PBV Ishinomaki Headquarters are still there to this day having shifted from emergency response to long-term recovery support. Mr. Lewis himself has been a volunteer coordinators for PBV for seven years and characterizes his job as helping people help people.

How Can the FEW Ladies Help PBV?

If you don’t have an emergency supply kit yet, PBV currently sells emergency supplies packed by those with disabilities living in Tohoku. Profits are for each kit goes towards funding employment opportunities and training for other Emergency projects. You can order one here.

Also, for more information on Peace Boat or the PBV, you can follow them on their Facebook page. For any donations to Peace Boat, they can be sent here.

And of course if you are interested in participating in on of Peace Boat’s voyages as a passenger or volunteer, you can get more information here.

The post February Community Services Feature: Disaster Relief with Peace Boat & PBV appeared first on FEW Japan.

Happy New Year to the FEW community!

This month we are featuring another phenomenal NGO in the Tokyo area, Human Rights Now!

Human Rights Now (HRN) is Japan’s first home-grown human rights advocacy organization founded in 2006 by a group of attorneys, scholars and journalists. The NGO currently has 700 members who work towards the promotion and protection of human rights in Asian nations as well as nations outside of Asia. HRN acts as the native hub for human rights in conjunction to its international counterparts including London’s Amnesty International and New York’s Human Right Watch.

HRN cover many issues including women’s rights, children’s rights, and empowerment projects. For over 10 years, they have worked to hold countries such as China, India, the Philipines, Myanmar and more to address violations committed and to create steps to reverse those violations. HRN members, Kelsey Lehner and Cade Mosley where gracious enough to answer a few questions during the holiday season and were very open about HRN’s successes and a few of its challenges.

As an NGO, HRN also faces funding challenges similar to other NGOs. Due to HRN’s unique UN special consultative status, it is imperative for the organization to stay neutral in its approach and relies heavily on grants and donations..

Another challenge unique to Human Right Now is awareness. Awareness of human rights violations and awareness of how people such as FEW Japan members can be of help to international victims of human rights abuse. According to Mosley, people just like you and I have significant power to hold international governments and corporations accountable for their actions or their decisions that directly or indirectly condone human rights abuse. Because potential volunteers view themselves as powerless against international human rights crimes, it can be difficult for HRN to get audiences to have empathy for the human rights victims they are trying to rescue.

An example of how great they are, HRN supported their Hong-Kong based partner, Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), to release an investigative report on labor rights abuses in a UNIQLO supplier factory. Following a press conference on the report HRN began an awareness raising campaign. Both created a lot of media attention. HRN then began negotiations with the operating company which owned the factories in question. The two sides were able to come to an agreement for the company, Fast Retailing Group, to release a plan to improve working conditions at the almost 150 known factories. HRN continues to this day to follow up on ensuring Fast Retailing continues to implement all of the points in its plan and to eventually disclose all of its suppliers. This was one of HRN’s proudest moments and is proof of how powerful the real awareness of human rights abuse is.

How can we make this amazing organizations become even more powerful in combating human rights crimes? HRN are currently selling 2018 calendar to fund their work. You can purchase one in English at info@hrn.or.jp. You can even donate directly via their website.

In addition, there are also awareness-raising events every month. Check out their Facebook page and Meetup Page for monthly updates.

Other human rights advocacy groups in the Kanto area:

Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims

http://lhj.jp/english

The post January Community Services Feature with Human Rights Now appeared first on FEW Japan.

“When you experience a disaster, when you lose everything that was important, your world falls apart. You lose hope. You lose purpose. You lose the capacity to recover. Those who survived the disaster now must survive the recovery.” – Angela Ortiz, Founder of A Place To Grow

A Place To Grow is an organization that aims to break away from the short term disaster relief NGOs we see in Japan today and create a more lasting and socially driven effort to rebuild communities. The organization originally began after the subsequent events that stemmed from the March 11, 2011 earthquake disaster. As families in Tohoku began to pick up the pieces of their lives, APTG created interactive workshops facilitated by international and local volunteers to help educate communities, particularly children, to become self sufficient once more. Ideally, APTG’s effects in one community inspire survivors who in turn support new disaster victims in other communities.

A Place To Grow’s Unique Strategy

Where many traditional disaster relief NGOs focus on providing food, water, and shelter in the wake of a disaster, A Place To Grow provides emotional and educational recovery with the children of these recovering communities. Children who have suffered a loss participate in art, media, or sports-oriented workshops that allow them to express themselves and redefine their lives from being dependent to being independent. Building self-sufficiency in a recovering community is one of APTG’s most important goals. Another such goal is connecting recovering communities with each other to foster positive and lasting relationships.

The Challenges for A Place To Grow

Because of their unique approach to fostering stronger communities and self-sufficiency, Angela Ortiz and her co-director Tyler Harder’s biggest challenge is finding international and local volunteers who are committed to a more recurring role to children and their families in these recovery areas. One of the benefits of volunteering with A Place To Grow is that volunteers not only help a recovering community gain back their strength, but that they also maintain relationships with those survivors through APTG workshops and events. Angela fondly remembers a time when one of the children she interacts with began calling her “Angela” instead of “Angela-san” as used the year before. Creating a bond with children survivors is key to helping them develop their ability to express themselves. Having an ample number of familiar-faced volunteers are key components of APTG’s success.

How can we ladies at FEW help?

There are numerous ways we can help A Place To Grow cultivate creativity, expression and recovery in the many affected areas in Tohoku. This month, Angela, Tyler and the APTG team will be conducting the Santa Soul Train on December 16th, 17th and 18th. APTG volunteers will be carrying Christmas cards and Secret Santa Stockings to almost 1,312 children across Tohoku. FEW members are more than welcome to decorate a christmas card for one or more Tohoku children or purchase a Secret Santa gift stocking for one or more children at 3,000 yen per stocking. If you would like your company to sponsor a large number of children, there are multiple corporate sponsor options as well.

We are happy to announce that A Place To Grow will be present for FEW Japan’s 2017 Bonenkai Party on Friday, December 15th at the HR Roppongi Hotel.

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Other organizations you can support during the Christmas season are:

Mirai no Mori

Is a non-profit organization that creates life-changing outdoor programs for abused, neglected, and orphaned children in Japan. Their mission is to support each child’s growth into a happy and successful young adult. Become a volunteer here!

The Make a Wish Foundation

The Make a Wish Foundation is an organization that contributes towards the wishes of children living in Japan, between the ages of 3 and 18 years old, with life-threatening illnesses. Become a volunteer! Show your support here!

A Playground for Hope

The Playground of Hope aims to restore the “social fabric” of disaster-affected and/or economically challenged communities through the power of play.  This is done by providing cost-effective play equipment and pairing donors with local volunteers to build play spaces that restore community pride and help make communities “livable” again for children, their parents and grandparents. Help build a better community here!

The post December Community Services Feature with Angela Ortiz, Founder of A Place To Grow appeared first on FEW Japan.

With Winter and the holiday season around the corner, many of us are mapping out our plans for the upcoming thanksgiving dinners, bonenkai, Christmas celebrations, and the like.

As we make merry in our end-of-year celebrations, we should still be mindful that in Japan there are 20 million people who live below the poverty line with food insecurity trying to make it through the season as best they can with the little they have for their families. In fact, Japan is ranked number 4th for relative poverty among OECD nations.

For 15 years Second Harvest Japan has been matching surplus with unmet need in Japan. They partner with food manufacturers, importers, and retailers to provide services directly to those in need and the many welfare institutions, NPOs, and faith-based groups that serve them. In Kanto alone they serve 300 such organizations each month.

Fresh from a business meeting, I was able to speak with the founder and CEO of Second Harvest Japan. It was amazing to hear about their ambitious plan to create a food safety-net to serve those in need. Currently, none really exists and so this is a ground-up effort.  

By 2020, they are aiming to have a safety-net in place to serve 100,000 people in Tokyo. They estimate there will need to be 75 distributions per week to accomplish this goal. Currently there are only 10. Their main task is getting churches, temples, and other community based organizations to host a distribution, even if it is only once a month. Second Harvest Japan is more than willing to provide the food if there is space available to host a distribution.

His second challenge is making sure there is enough “gas” in the car. We are talking about funding. What is incredible is how efficient they are. For every ¥1000 cash donation they are able to deliver 40 meals. “Not even the Red Cross can provide that level of efficiency,” points out Charles McJilton. The main reason behind this incredible number is that all food is donated and an incredible large team of volunteers. Last year over 33,000 hours were donated.

Taking a break from the challenges of Second Harvest, Mr. McJilton discussed with me what he was most proud of in Second Harvest. He beamed at the question and admitted it was a hard one – as Kiei and Steven from Run for the Cure have said. He said with earnest, he was very humbled and proud that Second Harvest has 25 loyal staff members who could work anywhere but choose to work with him and complete his goal to providing people with enough food. He’s also grateful for the over 100 volunteers who come and help prepare and serve food each week for those who need it. Lastly, he was grateful to work with numerous for-profit organizations as well as welfare organizations that collaborate well and promote innovation.

So how can FEW help Second Harvest?

To ensure the Second Harvest car keeps running, the team welcomes any and all financial donations. If you’d like to donate to Second Harvest, you can do so, here.

Also, if you’re available the evening of December 2nd, the ACCJ, the American Chamber of Commerce of Japan, will be hosting a charity ball in Second Harvest’s honor. Three additional organizations (Mirai no Mori, NPO Institute of Medical Care and Societal Health, and Living in Peace) will also be recognized as well. To register for this event, please click here.

I strongly request all of our FEW members to help Charles McJilton create a bigger and stronger food safety net across Japan.

Other organizations who help in the fight against hunger are: Sanyukai  (http://sanyukai.or.jp/english.html)
A free medical clinic that offers health care to those can’t afford medical care nor health insurance. Food is often needed to feed many of their patients.

The post November Community Services Feature with Charles McJilton of Second Harvest appeared first on FEW Japan.

The Run for the Cure Foundation is a Tokyo based non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating breast cancer in Japan as a life-threatening disease through education, timely screening, and treatment. For over a decade, organizers at Run for the Cure have provided community outreach programs and education initiatives to increase the awareness of breast cancer.

Since 2004, the Run for the Cure Foundation has served thousands of women by donating six mammography machines to local areas where women are underserved. Their dedication to providing cancer screenings and improving the quality of life among breast cancer patients and survivors is truly inspiring.

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kiei Kim, the Awareness Program Manager and Marco Magnani, the Events Manager. Kim and Magnani are two members of the trio who operate the foundation. Though only managed by a small group of three, the Run for the Cure Foundation has a 12-member board of trustees and partnerships with six major international corporations. In addition, a diverse and dedicated teams of volunteers helps the organization with administrative work and fundraising events throughout the year. The funds they raise at events such as the Pink Ball, allows the foundation to develop and conduct breast cancer education programs.

Kiei Kim works with companies across Japan to conduct the Lemon Project. The project’s goal is to teach men and women how to recognize the signs and symptoms of breast cancer through self-examination…using lemons!  A shout out to FEW members who work for or have connections with companies in the area: consider having Kim and the foundation bring the Lemon Project to your company. The seminar is free of charge and can potentially be life saving.

Let’s not stop there in giving the Run for the Cure Foundation our support! As FEW members, we can offer our support as active participants in the foundation’s annual events. Events such as the Cuisine for the Cure, Casino Night and The Pink Ball. Also, don’t forget the actual Run for the Cure/ Walk for Life Marathon around the Imperial Palace this December 2nd. The Run for the Cure is not a race! Every participant can run or walk at their own pace. If cardio is not your thing, no problem. You can participate as a volunteer by passing out water, assembling gift bags to corporate groups who are running, or helping with preparations prior to the race.  There are also various booths and performances to enjoy. The event is family friendly to both participants and volunteers. For more information on how to become a volunteer or to participate, click the link below:

https://runforthecure.org/en/tokyo-run/

The team at the Run for the Cure Foundation is proud of the work they do and have done. Their commitment to breast cancer awareness knows no bounds. They are very much looking forward to a chance to visit FEW during one of our monthly meetings or annual events.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Run for the Cure Foundation in any capacity, please email the Community Service Director Tia Haygood at community.service@fewjapan.com

The post October Community Services Feature: Tokyo Run for the Cure appeared first on FEW Japan.

FEW members and friends spent a fantastic day as volunteers at Mirai no Mori’s Back to Nature Program on June 10th. On the outskirts of Tokyo, in beautiful and green Mitake, we met with the staff and volunteer teams of Mirai no Mori and a Saitama children’s home to support a program designed to empower and inspire abused, neglected and orphaned children.

We welcomed a group of six elementary and junior high school students as well as six high school students undergoing a leadership-in-training course designed to help them develop skills for independent living when they leave the care system at age 18.

Together, we had a great time doing ice-breakers and playing campfire games. Everyone also had free time between activities, which was spent enjoying chats at the river’s edge, skimming stones or playing frisbee. For lunch, we broke into teams Fire, Hot Dog and Apple to prepare a delicious lunch over an open fire. Our menu featured hot dogs, salad, baked beans and apple crisp. Later we prepared and delivered skits in English on how we did it so everyone could feel part of the entire process.

Each activity was designed to give the children a positive experience in the outdoors while inspiring them and giving them role models to talk to. The high school students were a true credit to their trainers, supporting the younger children with instructions, helping them in games, and counting heads at meet up times!

We were honored to play our part in the day, helping the older children develop their confidence as leaders, supporting all the children and spending time with everyone involved.

Our special thanks go to Mirai no Mori, our FEW member volunteers, and all the FEW non-members who saved the day by turning out to make up our numbers. We hope the kids had as much of a blast as we all did!

We our holding a live music event on the evening of July 9th in Takadanobaba to cover the remaining costs of this event. Please join us. Or if you’re not available, tell your friends.  All are welcome!

You can also support Mirai no Mori by joining their Tanabata Party on Wednesday, July 5. The theme of the occasion will be an homage to the Tanabata star festival, with fun activities related to the stars and the great outdoors.

The post Event Recap: Mirai no Mori Back to Nature Outdoor Cooking Program appeared first on FEW Japan.